Mum calls for Church Road drivers to slow down after son seriously hurt

7:10am Wednesday 12th November 2008

By Matt Watts

A mum whose seven-year-old son was left with brain injuries after being knocked down just metres from his home has launched an appeal to get drivers to slow down.

Rhileigh Morris almost died after being struck by a car on a notorious stretch of Church Road last month.

Last week his mother, Aleta Wilson, 27, backed calls for improved traffic control at the complicated intersection with Westow Street and warned that speeding drivers will kill someone there unless they slow down.

“This could have been your child,” said Mrs Wilson, who credits the fast response of paramedics with saving her son’s life.

“It costs nothing to slow down, maybe if the driver had been going slower my son would have got up with a few cuts and bruises but he didn’t and I was told he was going to die.

“I’ve seen drivers jump red lights and speed over speed bumps. It’s not worth it, it’s so not worth it. Think, slow down and be aware.”

And the mum-of-three, who remains haunted by the accident, said: “At hospital the neurosurgeon said I had a very sick little boy and I had to prepare for the worst.

“All I can picture now is the bang on the door and my son in the road. I relive that every day when I come out of my house.”

Local businesses and residents in the area say they welcome pedestrian crossings, improved road markings and traffic calming measures if they were introduced at the intersection.

A Croydon Council spokesman, said: “People should write to their ward councillor who will bring it up in council.

“We are however dependant on TfL agreement and funding for any traffic calming measures, but it may well be that if feeling was strong enough a survey could be undertaken.”

Mrs Wilson said Rhileigh’s confidence was shattered by the accident. The former keen swimmer has been banned from playing sport in case of seizures and remains afraid of the busy road outside his house.

She said: “This is the hardest part for me, dealing with the aftermath. I’m just coming to terms with him being run over but now he’s home and I’m dealing with a completely different child.

“He’s oblivious to what you’re saying, he’s just a really different little boy now, but it’s a small price to pay, I could be mourning him and I’m not.”

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